My pick of wines from the best European co-operatives

We are familiar with dairy co-ops in this country. For many decades they have played a big role in our agriculture sector and the rural economy. Wine co-ops were equally important in continental European countries including Spain, Italy and parts of France. As with dairy co-ops, members pool resources to gain access to markets and expertise, increase selling power, and ensure they had a customer for their grapes every year. Being a member of a co-op also means you do not have to invest in expensive winemaking equipment. Management teams set standards and buying prices, make the wine and sell it around the world. For most of the 20th century co-ops provided a lifeline for many producers. However, some had a poor reputation. Farmers were paid by volume and so had little incentive to cut yields and go for quality. Many wines were just plain boring, others faulty.

In the 1980s and 1990s, faced with a huge wine lake, the EU provided grants to modernise wineries, hire experienced viticulturists, reduce volumes and increase quality. It worked in most areas. More than half of French wine still comes from a co-op, a figure that rises above 70 per cent in the south of the country. The co-ops have always been strong in the Rhône and Languedoc regions, although they also have a significant presence in areas such as Chablis, Champagne and Alsace.

Today, co-ops can be quite coy about mentioning their name, possibly because some consumers turn their nose up at them, preferring to think their wine comes directly from a work-hardened artisan son of the soil. Most co-ops now pay members by quality and sugar content and produce a range of wines from inexpensive to some very high-quality wines. There always have been some excellent co-ops who make wine that is every bit as good as any domaine. Today, our wines come from four of the best co-operatives in Europe.